Who pays for Guernsey's churches?

The Town Church was being worked on for nearly a year

The Anglican Church of St Peter Port, better known as the Town Church, underwent major renovation work in 2009.

As the work came to an end there was a deficit of £120,000 left to be paid and it seems this bill may well land in the laps of the parish rate payers.

While this is standard across the island for payment of work on churches it is often the issue of debate.

The states have been looking into the issue for the past few years as well.

The work on the Town Church was deemed necessary to replace the interior lighting and repair several structural elements of the building as well as rewiring all the electrics.

While there is support for funding the churches, the rectories and other buildings are more questionable Deputy Tom Le Pelley

Church warden Ellis Bebb said the new structural work should be "good for at least 300 years" and that the work done on the electrics would mean rewiring in future would be a far cheaper and more efficient process.

St Peter Port Constable Jenny Tasker said that the bill will be passed on to parish rate payers unless more charitable donations are made.

She said: "We hope people from around the island will be more generous because the town church is an icon for the whole island and all services take place there which are relevant to the whole island."

With changing attitudes to faith and worship in recent years the subject of how the island's Anglican churches are paid for has become the subject of some scrutiny and so the States commissioned a report into it.

Deputy Tom Le Pelley, who is heading up the report, said that their investigations had revealed "while there is support for funding the churches, the rectories and other buildings are more questionable".

Inside the church was rewired and had new lighting installed

He went on to say that upon the completion of the report certain changes will be proposed and if passed they may lead to a reduction in parish rates.

Architectural historian John McCormack said that historically churches were the centre of the parish and as such were funded, in different ways over time, by the parish.

He explained further that the nave often also doubled as a parish hall, so money for that came directly from the parish and that in some churches this still happens.

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